What I didn't do today...

I had big plans today.

I wanted to clean out the shed. I planned on cleaning out the basement. I would have liked to wash my car.
I was definitely in task mode, I was in the zone. And while there was some interaction with my family, I did not fully engage with anyone for most of the day. It was just me and my tasks.
Then, just when I was starting to feel like I was going to get something done in time to watch some ball games on the tube, it happened. My oldest son brought up the "The Project" again.

"The Project" was first born in his pre-teen brain this past spring when I had to retire my old trusty lawnmower. Duct tape and zip-ties had been enough to patch it up for years, but the motor was finally shot. A replacement was created, Frankenstein style, from a neighbors old mower along with a few parts from the ol' green monster (the affectionate nickname that my Poulan push mower had earned many summers ago). What my boy had in mind was to build a vehicle from what was left.

My initial response (excuse) was that the mower's engine still had oil and gas that had to be appropriately disposed of. The next time he brought it up I challenged him to come up with a detailed plan, with drawings, of what exactly he had in mind so that proper plans, tools, and equipment could be obtained ahead of time.
Twice I didn't have time to help him (more obsessive chore days I'm sure), once it was raining, and one other opportunity I recall we had to go some where "soon" so we would not have time to get into any new projects.

Today was somehow different. I wasn't quite intimidated by the idea of building something with my son as I had been earlier. Perhaps the to do list just didn't feel so overwhelming at that moment. Or, maybe it was because I couldn't find a sponge worthy of polishing up the family truckster. For what ever reason, I not only overcame my own fears and objections, but actually enjoyed diving in to these unknown waters.

Don't get me wrong, we have built things together before. Pinewood Derby cars, model airplanes, more than a few birdhouses, and some pretty tough tool boxes. But these were all structured, planned, layed out. There was very little wild card creativity involved as long as you don't count choosing what colors to slap on pieces of rough cut pine. "The Project" wasn't like this at all. You see, my son's mind doesn't work like mine And it's not just my aging uptightedness. He doesn't want a written plan. In fact, he hasn't even pictured what this contraption is going to look like yet.

So we proceeded to build, or rather we started to disassemble what was left of the ol' green monster. He described to me what he wanted to accomplish on this step, I helped him pick out the right tool, and I let him have at it. While he awkwardly turned the ratchet I continued to ask questions about how he planned to achieve the next step, or in some instances, what the next step was. Each time he calmly replied, "Dad, I haven't got that far yet". This response would normally frustrate me to no end, severely testing my patience. But not today. Today it made me smile. Which made him smile.

So after a couple of hours, we really did need to go somewhere, but neither one of us were disappointed. We had just realized that progress would be halted until a new hacksaw blade could be procured. From where I sit this evening typing away, in front of a post season baseball game, I just barely see the results of our first day of work on "The Project" laying next to the shed. A stripped down deck of an old green lawn mower with the seat of a plastic preschool chair fastened on top. Two rusted scooters lay nearby awaiting their turn to contribute.

I had big plans today. Turns out God's plans were much better.